Hunter versus prey.

The Tournament of Power rumbles on, with Universe 2 finally stepping up to show off their powers. Their strange transformations and unique attacks made for a fun and light hearted opening, but it was Android 17 who ultimately stole the show, with his dry, serious demeanour perfectly countering the bubbly and love-spreading warriors from Universe 2.

We’ve seen some interesting characters in the Tournament of Power, but none so unusual as the trio from Universe 2. Their strange mix of love based attacks and animalistic powers made for an enjoyable battle and offered up something quite different than the more traditional warriors we’ve been watching the past few weeks. Beyond the visual style of the warriors, I was very impressed with Super’s ability to introduce these new warriors and find a way to make them compelling in such a short period of time. Gone are the times when character introductions lasted several episodes and Super is better off for it.

After calling Super out on it, it was great to see that this week they acknowledge how unusual it is that combat in the Tournament of Power is rather lax, given the dire circumstances surrounding the event. During the transformation scene of Universe 2, it’s made clear that the strongest warriors in the fight are content to let others transform and power up without fear of getting attacked while doing so. It doesn’t make much sense, but did make for a great comical moment as everyone then chastised Android 17 for interrupting someone’s transformation with an energy blast.

Although funny, this scene did highlight a long-running issue with the Tournament of Power. These people are fighting for their lives, and the lives of trillions of others and yet they seem perfectly fine with letting their guard down, getting distracted or letting their enemies power up. This causes things to feel disjointed, because the circumstances surrounding the tournament don’t match up with what we see happening within it. The tournament still has ample time left, so this is something that can be corrected in time, but at the present, things feel a little off as our heroes continue to act in a way that seems rather casual given the stakes they are fighting for.

With the unusual warriors of Universe 2 stealing the first half of the show, it came as a great surprise to see the second half swing in an entirely different direction as Android 17 showed up. Not only did he break up the aforementioned scene where everyone was just hanging out and powering up, but he then went on to have one of the best fights in the tournament thus far. Android 17 also offers up something quite unique: he exudes an aura of authority and power, one that he’s had since his first days as a villain countless years ago. This aura is what makes him so enjoyable to watch and we saw that this week as he easily took on two members of Universe 2, all while talking to them, mocking their mistakes, and boldly stating how he planned to take them down.

The Verdict

Episode 102 is another great entry in the Tournament of Power arc. The warriors of Universe 2 brought a fun, love-filled first half of the episode, offering up something wholly different than every other fighter thus far while Android 17 capped off the episode with a great final fight. The tournament still struggles with some issues, as was highlighted during a scene mid way through, but the quality of everything else surrounding it helps cover up the strange inconsistencies that arise.